55 Famous Failures Who Became Super Successful

Success stories are often painted with a brush that overlooks the darker hues of early failure.

However, some of the world's most remarkable achievements have been crafted on a foundation of setbacks and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Welcome to our inspiring journey through the lives of 55 famous individuals who defied the odds, turned their failures into fuel, and ascended to extraordinary heights.

From inventors to entertainers, entrepreneurs to athletes, each figure teaches us a crucial lesson: setbacks are just stepping stones on the path to greatness.

Get inspired, motivated, and entertained as we delve into their stories of persistence, resilience, and ultimate triumph.

It's okay to fail. This list of successful failures proves it happens to everyone.

Most people dread the word “failure.” Everyone wants to be successful; to be liked and admired.

But that dreaded “F” word always pops up. Not that one; get your mind out of the gutter; I am talking about Failure.

Failure and success are two sides of the same coin. You may fail at life many times before you are successful.

Ask anybody who has become successful if they have ever failed at any aspect of their journey. Chances are you will get quite a few stories of missteps and blunders.

The difference between long-term success and failure is the reaction to it. We need to change our view of failure.

It is not something that needs to be avoided. It is a chance to learn something that does not work! Failure is the mother of success.

“Failure happens. Live with it! Learn from it!

It is not always reaching the destination that defines the man (or woman), but the journey taken to get there. The biggest successes have gone through the biggest failures.

To illustrate the point, here is a list of 55 famous people who are/were successful but…

…Experienced massive failure at one point in their lives.

Not only did these people fail, but they failed on a massive scale. Yet history still views these successful people who failed as great success stories because they bounced back and succeeded.

Let's examine a few of the common reasons wildly successful people start out as failures, show you some of the prominent famous failures who became successful, and then proceed to the rest of the success stories.

Rejection by Industry Leaders

Many notable figures have faced significant obstacles in their journey to success, and they are often rejected by industry leaders or prominent institutions.

These stories include legendary authors dismissed by countless publishers, actors ignored by top producers, and innovators turned away by companies unwilling to take risks on unproven ideas.

1. Stephen King

It is my opinion that Steven King is the greatest living writer.

He is incredibly prolific, having written over 60 novels, many of which are quite long. He is popular, and in his mid-70s, his new releases almost always land at the top of the best-seller lists.

But King wasn't born a writer.

He wrote stories as a teenager and college student, collecting a vast backlog of rejected stories he stored in a large crate.

King worked as a teacher in rural Maine when he wrote his first novel, “Carrie”.

By this time King had some minor success selling short stories previously, but nothing that anyone could build a career around.

King submitted “Carrie” 30 times. King was rejected 30 times.

Before his 31^st attempt, he threw the manuscript out.

His wife rescued it from the round file and asked him to try again. The rest…is history.

[One of the keys to success is continuous learning. If you desire success, why not continue your learning and read the best books on success.]

2. Vincent van Gogh

​Van Gogh paintings these days sell for incredible amounts of money. Four of his paintings have sold for more than 100 million dollars.

Yet, Van Gogh is a cautionary tale. In his life, he was a failure.

He slowly began to build a “reputation” while he was alive, but he also had many critics. Out of frustration, he burned and destroyed many of his paintings and was known only to sell ONE PAINTING.

He did not work to overcome his failure and killed himself. Soon after his death, his work began to garner intense critical and financial success.

3. Fred Astaire

Many people consider Fred Astaire the greatest male dancer of all time. (Okay, ladies, I know…. Ginger Rogers did everything Fred did, but backward and in heels.)

Fred didn't start a success. But he did start early. He was six years old when he began working in a vaudeville act.

By his mid-teens, he had some measure of success in vaudeville and began working in Broadway and musicals. He wasn't instant success there either, but he slowly began to build a reputation and a degree of success.

Eventually, in his mid 30's, he tried to get into the burgeoning movie industry.

​During his first screen test, an RKO executive noted that Astaire “Can’t sing. Can’t act. Balding. Can dance a little.”

Despite this initial rejection, Astaire persevered and became one of the top actors, singers, and dancers of his generation.

Nearly 50 movies, Emmys, Grammys, an Oscar. By any measure, this balding guy, who couldn't act or sing but could dance “a little,” became a huge success in film and dance.

Initial Failures in Their Creative Endeavors:

The path to success is often paved with obstacles, and many famous individuals have experienced this firsthand through initial failures in their creative endeavors. However, these setbacks are not a measure of one's ultimate potential but stepping stones to success.

By understanding how wildly successful people overcame early obstacles, aspiring creatives can glean valuable advice and inspiration, turning their misfortunes into stepping stones.

4. Thomas Edison

​Chances are you have heard of Edison concerning overcoming failure before. He was a master of trial and error. Someone who wasn't afraid to make lots of mistakes to succeed.

When asked about his many thousands of failures when trying to create the light bulb, he famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

But there is even more to it than that. As a child, many of his teachers thought him dumb and told him that he would never be a success because his mind would often wander in class.

It is good for us that the greatest inventor in history did not listen.

5. Elvis Presley

​You do not need to be an Elvis fan to acknowledge his impact on popular music. They don’t dub somebody the “King” of a form of music without much success.

But for Elvis, success came after failure.

Elvis failed his music classes. He was a social misfit as a boy.

He was working as a truck driver, trying to get his recording career off the ground. After his first paying gig, his manager told him, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.”

But Elvis persevered. His first recordings went nowhere. He tried to join a vocal quartet and was told he “couldn’t sing”.

But finally, his music caught a groove, and after all that failure, he became one of the most popular recording artists in history.

6 Theodor Seuss Geisel
(Dr. Seuss)

When you were a child, you probably read Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat and other books by Geisel under his pen name, Dr. Seuss. To date, over 600 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide.

Many would think that this kind of success means that all sorts of doors of opportunity were opened for Dr. Seuss. However, his first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Tree, was almost unpublished.

Mulberry Street was rejected 27 times, and Dr. Seuss decided to head home to burn the book’s manuscript. However, at the last minute, a break came, paving the way for publication and a glowing review that transformed his first book from a candidate for the garbage bin to an instant bestseller. This ultimately paved the way for the success of his other books.

7. JK Rowling

Rowling is the perfect example of success that can come to anyone anytime.

She is now doing the backstroke through a pool of Harry Potter money, but that was not always the case.

Rowling always planned on being a writer. But life interfered.

She battled depression over the untimely death of her mother. Her first marriage failed, and she was left trying to provide for herself and raise a young child alone while living on welfare, going to school, and trying to work on a novel in her nonexistent spare time.

Rowling herself said she was the “biggest failure I knew” and credits much of her success to her failure.

Academic and Skill-Based Challenges

Many successful people have faced academic or skill-based challenges that initially seemed insurmountable barriers.

For some, this meant coping with poor grades in school, struggling to grasp complex subjects, or being unable to qualify in competitions aligned with their career aspirations.

8. Michael Jordan

​It is hard to imagine it, but Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player ever, was once cut from his high school team.

Jordan kept working at it and improving despite being unable to stay on his high school team.

He made the team at North Carolina and became a star college player. Then he played for the Bulls, creating an armful of titles.

As Jordan puts it, he succeeded through hard work after failure. As Jordan puts it:

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

[Success takes hard work. It doesn't come easy. Get inspired for some hard work by checking this collection of hard-work quotes.]

9. Abe Lincoln

​If Lincoln had quit when the going got tough, the world might be different.

As a young man, Lincoln entered military service as a captain in the Black Hawk War but left as a private.

With very little formal education, Lincoln taught himself and became a lawyer and congressman.

His real rise to national prominence could also be viewed as a “failure.” In 1858, Lincoln tried for a seat in the Illinois Senate, which led to a series of hotly contested debates known as the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Lincoln lost the Senate election, but he impressed many right people, even with his loss. So he kept at the politics thing.

Two years later, he ran for president and won.

Thankfully, he did not let a lack of formal education, a spotty career of failures, or initial political failure rattle him, and he became one of our greatest presidents.

10. Albert Einstein

If asked to name a genius, most people would come up with Albert Einstein. Yet, even for Einstein, genius did not come easily. He had speech difficulties as a child and was once even thought to be mentally handicapped.

As a teen he rebelled against his school's reliance on rote learning and failed.

He tried to test at Zurich Polytechnic but failed again (although he did very well in the math and physics section…as you might expect).

Einstein buckled down, received the requisite training, applied to Zurich Polytechnic again, and was accepted.

A few years later, he received a Ph.D. and was recognized as a leading theorist. A few years later, he received a Nobel Prize for physics and began to be recognized as the genius of our modern era.

11. George Lucas

Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing movie franchises in Hollywood. Ever since the release of Episode IV – A New Hope in 1977, the franchise has remained a box office hit.

However, Star Wars almost did not make it to the big screen. Three major studios—Disney, United Artists, and Universal—all rejected it.

Fox backed the movie, hoping that it was going to be something like American Graffiti, one of the more successful movies that George Lucas had directed.

When shooting Star Wars, nobody got Lucas’s vision. There was a lot of tension between him and the actors, the crew, and the executives. Further, Fox had to be creative in its marketing campaign to bring the movie to theaters.

However, after its first run, Star Wars instantly became a hit. It changed how movies were made, and the franchise has become a billion-dollar industry.

12. Harland David Sanders

For many of us, experiencing two or three rejections can be disheartening. Imagine how it must have been for Harland David Sanders, whose fried chicken recipe was rejected over 1,000 times.

When Sanders was 65 years old, he found himself bankrupt after his restaurant business had failed.

He drove around in his car, pleading with diners and restaurant owners to use his fried chicken recipe. The deal was that they would give him a nickel as a commission for every piece of chicken sold.

He was turned down 1,009 times before a restaurant agreed to use his recipe, which he called Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Today, Colonel Sanders is an iconic figure representing one of the tastiest fried chickens in the world, proving that you're never too old to find success.

13. Charles Schulz

The well-known comic strip Peanuts has touched countless hearts for several generations.

However, for Schulz, the path to success was a challenging one.

When he was younger, his high school yearbook staff rejected every cartoon he submitted. He was lousy at sports and flunked 8^th grade.

He submitted his cartoons to several studios and publishing firms when he was a bit older. Again, he was rejected.

Had he given up, we would never have known Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the gang.

14. Walt Disney

When you look at how Disney’s animated movies have become a household name, you will find it difficult to imagine that their creator once faced rejection.

When Walt Disney was 22, he worked for a newspaper firm in Missouri. The newspaper editor fired him because he lacked creativity.

Disney disproved this, however, by winning more than 30 Academy Awards for his animated film featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The rest is history.

To learn more about him, here are 83 quotes from Walt Disney.

See the rest of these wildly successful former “famous failures”.

15. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart was a musical prodigy. He composed music by age 5 and wrote over 600 pieces during his lifetime. Today, people acknowledge Mozart as a genius composer.

However, when he was still alive, he was met with failure several times: He was dismissed as a court musician, an archduke called his piece The Marriage of Figaro “noisy,” and his last three compositions flopped massively.

16. Jack Canfield

Have you read any of the books from the Chicken Soup series? What if we were to tell you that those books were nearly never published?

Chicken Soup for the Soul was the first book that Jack Canfield sent to 144 publishers. All of them rejected his pitch.

Still, he persevered and eventually found a publisher willing to bring his book to the world.

We are glad somebody did!

If you'd like to learn how Jack Canfield persevered when others didn't, check out his book The Success Principles. It contains 67 action steps for being more successful in life.

17. Jack London

Jack London's The Call of the Wild is considered one of the best novels ever written. This book must truly be a significant piece of literature because it appears on the reading lists of high school English classes all over the US.

London’s storytelling is very compelling, so it might surprise you that he received 600 rejections before publishing his first story.

18. Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier, who transformed African-American representation in film with his 1963 Academy Award win in Lilies of the Field, faced harsh rejection early in his career.

His first audition was a disaster due to his thick Caribbean accent, prompting the director to suggest he pursue dishwashing instead. This failure fueled Poitier's motivation, ultimately leading him to become one of the highest-paid actors of his era.

19. Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks, with a net worth estimated at $4.1 billion in 2019.

However, Mark Cuban failed at almost every job he ever held. He couldn’t seem to get anything suitable.

This did not stop him from trying.

He eventually found a niche in startups. He decided to start his own company, which CompuServe ultimately acquired. He then created another company that was acquired by Yahoo! for $5.7 billion.

20. Soichiro Honda

Soichiro Honda was the man behind Honda Motor Co.

Before establishing his multinational company, he was in the foundry business, manufacturing piston rings. However, he had difficulty securing a contract with Toyota for his innovation in these piston rings.

WWII happened when he finally got the contract, and a bomb hit his factory. After rebuilding the factory, an earthquake struck, leveling the building.

But he never stopped innovating (including embracing the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement) , and eventually created a motorized bicycle that became the precursor of the Honda motorcycle and, ultimately, the Honda car company that we know today.)

21. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah is a media executive with a net worth of $3 billion. She owns the multimedia empire Harpo and is considered one of the world’s most influential women.

However, she was publicly fired from her first job as a TV news anchor.

The reason? The show’s execs said she was too “emotionally invested” in the stories she reported.

22. Vera Wang

Vera Wang, renowned for her iconic wedding dresses and a net worth of over $400 million, faced significant setbacks early on.

She failed to make the 1986 Olympic figure-skating team and later spent 17 years at Vogue without finding lasting success. Her breakthrough came only after many struggles when she ventured into wedding dress design.

23. Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford is an iconic hero, partly thanks to his Indiana Jones and Han Solo portrayals.

So you might be surprised to learn that the film executives of the first movie he starred in told Harrison Ford that he didn’t have the “star factor.”

His career has spanned six decades, and with yet another upcoming movie in the Indiana Jones franchise, he has definitely proved his critics wrong.

24. Terri Gross

Terri Gross, the voice and host of the long-running NPR show Fresh Air, has over five million listeners worldwide.

However, when Gross graduated from college, her first job was as a teacher at an inner-city junior high school. She was fired after six weeks.

She eventually discovered she was best suited for radio, and her career eventually took off.

25. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga's unique style and talent have made her a top-selling artist and influential figure.

Despite early setbacks, including being dropped by a major label, and some insulting comments about her skills, she used the opportunity to refine her artistry, becoming the icon she is now.

26. Sir James Dyson

Sir James Dyson is to be thanked for the bagless vacuum cleaner, which has improved the convenience of household chores.

But how many prototypes did he have to go through to arrive at the perfect vacuum cleaner? Sir James said he created 5,126 prototypes and cleaned out his savings by creating the ideal cleaning machine.

27. Isaac Newton

From the get-go, it was clear that Isaac Newton was not cut out for farm work. He was more of a contemplative type than a hard worker.

However, the family needed someone to handle their affairs at the farm, and they convinced Isaac to do it. And he failed—miserably.

This epic failure convinced his family to let him finish his studies instead, and the whole world benefited from it, as his contributions have helped us understand how the world works.

28. Claude Monet

Monet founded the French Impressionism movement, and his works fetch record-breaking prices at art auctions. Recently, one of his paintings was estimated to have received between $20 million and $30 million at an art auction.

However, there was a time when the world was not excited about Monet’s work. The Paris Salon, a small but influential group of Parisian artists, ultimately rejected Monet’s style.

Although the group has long since dissolved, Monet’s paintings fascinate art collectors worldwide.

29. Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling introduced us to Mowgli in The Jungle Book, and the powerful Djinn in Just So Stories. In 1907, he was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

So you may find it surprising that Kipling was fired from his role as a contributor to a newspaper. The editor’s reason: Kipling “doesn’t know how to use the English language.”

Although it may have stung, Kipling didn’t let the editor’s comment affect him. He continued to write and became one of the greatest authors of his time.

30. William and Orville Wright

The Wright brothers revolutionized travel with relentless determination. They aimed to build a sustainable flying machine, tirelessly refining their prototypes despite frequent crashes at Kitty Hawk.

After many failures, injuries, and tons of money invested, they achieved powered flight, forever changing the world.

31. R. H. Macy

Who would have thought that the founder of the biggest department store chain in the country and one of the largest retailing operations in the world would encounter numerous failed retail ventures at the beginning of his career?

The setbacks would have discouraged others, but Rowland Hussey Macy just moved on and continued to invest his resources to discover the right formula for drawing customers to his stores.

32. Elizabeth Arden

Elizabeth Arden, born Florence Nightingale Graham, overcame multiple setbacks before establishing a highly influential beauty company.

Despite failing nursing school and several jobs, she pursued her dream by taking out a loan to start a successful cosmetics and beauty salon business, leading to her company's current annual earnings of around $1 billion.

33. Jerry Seinfeld

The first time Jerry Seinfeld did a stand-up act at a comedy club, he lasted only three minutes and was booed off the stage. However, that experience of failure and rejection did not deter him.

He continued doing what he loved, performing stand-up acts all over New York until he landed a role in the 1980s sitcom Benson. Seinfeld went on to become one of the greatest American comedians of all time. He is best known for starring in the hit sitcom Seinfeld, a fictionalized version of his life.

34. Richard Branson

Richard Branson, the visionary behind the Virgin Empire valued at $4.2 billion in 2020, faced early entrepreneurial struggles, including legal issues and financial setbacks with his Virgin record shops.

Dyslexia added to his academic challenges, leading to his high school dropout. Despite these hurdles, his persistence eventually led to remarkable success.

35. Madonna

Madonna's journey to fame was fraught with difficulties. After her father remarried, she used dance as an escape while managing household responsibilities, eventually leaving college to pursue her dreams in New York City.

She faced numerous hardships, including being assaulted and struggling financially, working as a waitress and model. Her resilience paid off when her 1982 album and the hit single Holiday catapulted her to stardom.

36. Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage's role as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones brought him international fame, yet his journey wasn't easy.

Determined to break free from stereotypical roles for people with dwarfism, he often worked non-acting jobs, including data entry, rather than accept demeaning offers.

His steadfastness paid off, leading to broader opportunities after his success in the iconic series.

37. Jack Ma

Alibaba founder Jack Ma's inspiring journey emphasizes perseverance. Born in 1964 as Ma Yun, he faced bullying and educational setbacks, failing his university entrance exams twice before succeeding on the third try.

Despite numerous job rejections and initial business failures, Ma's determination never wavered. He founded Alibaba, a massive success, growing his net worth to approximately $45.9 billion by July 2020.

Ma's story encourages us to pursue our dreams persistently.

38. Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou overcame a harrowing childhood marked by her parents' divorce and sexual abuse, which rendered her mute.

Despite these hardships and failed marriages, she found solace in writing. Her influential literary works have provided hope and inspiration for the oppressed, showcasing her resilience and passion for justice.

39. Robert Downey, Jr.

Once written off in Hollywood due to his numerous arrests and rehab stints for substance abuse, Robert Downey Jr. is now among the highest-paid actors.

His iconic portrayal of Tony Stark in the Iron Man series, which grossed $2 billion, demonstrates his remarkable turnaround and undeniable charisma, earning acclaim as perfect for the role.

40. Milton Hershey

Milton Hershey's path to success was paved with failure.

Starting as a printer's apprentice, he was fired after an accident with his hat. He then failed at two business ventures and was left penniless by 26.

Undeterred, he pursued his dream of creating affordable milk chocolate. After perfecting his recipe by combining milk, cacao, and sugar, he sold his caramel factory to focus on chocolate, ultimately making the iconic Hershey’s chocolates known today.

41. Marshall Bruce Mathers III

The song Lose Yourself earned prestigious awards, yet Eminem's path was fraught with failures.

Growing up in a harsh neighborhood, he felt like an outsider and failed 9th grade three times before dropping out. Despite these setbacks, Eminem's passion for rap, which began at 14, helped him carve a name for himself by 17.

As a white rapper, he constantly faced skepticism, but he relentlessly proved his talent. His breakthrough came when Dr. Dre discovered him, leading to a contract with Interscope Records.

Now, he is celebrated as one of the greatest rappers ever.

42. Ludwig Van Beethoven

Beethoven’s compositions are familiar to virtually everyone, and he is one of the most admired and respected composers of Western music of all time. However, when Beethoven was younger, he was awkward with the violin and often neglected his practice, leading his teachers to believe he had no future as a violinist or composer.

He proved them wrong and went on to compose awe-inspiring symphonies, which are now pillars of classical music's repertoire.

43. Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington, now a successful figurehead of HuffPost and Thrive Global, faced significant failures early on.

Her book was rejected by 36 publishers before finally being accepted.

Even HuffPost faced harsh criticism upon launch, with many doubting its credibility. Despite these challenges, both ventures have succeeded, with HuffPost becoming a trusted news source under her leadership.

44. Chris Gardner

Chris Gardner, whose story inspired The Pursuit of Happyness, faced immense failures before achieving success.

Growing up poor, he saw domestic abuse, alcoholism, and illiteracy firsthand. After high school, he joined the Navy, then watched his business fail, and his marriage crumbles, becoming a single father.

Yet, through perseverance, he founded Gardner Rich LLC and became a leading motivational speaker.

45. Hugh Herr

Hugh Herr, once a promising rock climber, faced a devastating setback when a climbing accident at 17 resulted in the loss of both legs below the knee.

Turning failure into inspiration, Herr utilized his expertise in robotics and human physiology to develop innovative bionic limbs.

His groundbreaking designs have not only transformed his own life, allowing him to return to climbing, but also significantly improved the lives of others with physical disabilities.

Recognized as a pioneer, TIME magazine aptly dubbed him the “Leader of the Bionic Age” in 2011.

[See Famous People with Disabilities]

46. Bill Gates

At 17, Bill Gates and Paul Allen created Traf-O-Data to streamline traffic analysis.

Unfortunately, when they presented their product to Seattle County, it malfunctioned, leading to business failure.

Despite this setback, Gates continued to pursue his passion for technology, leaving Harvard after one year. This decision paved the way for founding Microsoft, which ultimately proved pivotal.

47. Colonel Harland Sanders

Colonel Harland Sanders faced numerous challenges before founding KFC.

Orphaned at five, he shouldered domestic responsibilities early. Leaving home at 13 due to familial troubles, he took various odd jobs to survive.

At 40, he began selling chicken, and by 49, he owned a hotel and restaurant that was soon destroyed by fire. Even after perfecting his chicken recipe, he sold his business amid divorce.

At 65, nearly broke, he pitched his chicken franchise over 1,000 times before finding success.

48. Curtis Jackson (50 Cent)

Before becoming a famous artist and producer, 50 Cent faced tremendous hardship.

Raised in poverty, he lost his mother, a drug dealer, to a house fire, and his father abandoned him, leaving his grandmother to care for him. As a teenager, he was deeply involved in drugs, leading to an arrest for possession and gun charges at 19.

Despite earning a GED in boot camp, he was shot nine times at 25 and survived.

Although his initial attempts in the music industry failed, with Columbia Records dropping him, his relentless spirit led him to record music independently.

Eventually, signing with Eminem and Shady Records in 2002 became pivotal in 50 Cent's rise to fame. This was the opening he needed to achieve all the success he is now famous for.

49. Henry Ford

Henry Ford's journey wasn't straightforward. Initially, he founded the Detroit Automobile Company, but a design flaw and conflicts with partners led to its collapse, and it could not repay a loan from the Dodge Brothers.

Refusing to concede defeat, Ford pressed on.

At 40, he found renewed support from a Scottish coal magnate, enabling him to eventually produce cost-effective family cars and establish the thriving Ford Motor Company.

If you want to learn more about other famous failures, then check out this video:

50. Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson's story exemplifies failure leading to posthumous success.

Due to her introversion and the dark nature of her poetry, she was seen as a hermit and a failure in her lifetime.

She published only a handful of poems. It wasn't until after her death that her sister discovered and published over 1800 of her poems, and she gained the fame she is celebrated for today.

51. Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone's journey to stardom was fraught with rejection and hardship.

In the 1970s, aspiring to be an actor, Stallone faced constant criticism and was told he couldn't act. He endured 1500 rejections from agents and even became homeless, desperate enough to sell his dog for $25.

Despite receiving a $325,000 offer for his Rocky script, he refused unless allowed to star in the film. Eventually, he secured a deal for $35,000 plus a percentage of profits, a risk that paid off as Rocky grossed over $200 million at the box office.

52. Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey faced severe poverty and numerous failures before achieving success.

At 15, financial struggles forced him to work as a janitor after school while living in a camper. Though his father supported his dreams, Carrey's first stand-up attempt in Toronto ended with him being booed offstage. Unfazed, he left high school at 17 to pursue comedy in Los Angeles, eventually securing a steady gig at The Comedy Store.

Despite a failed marriage, after 11 years, he landed a role in In Living Color and later starred in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Carrey's persistence through ups and downs led to his A-list status.

53. Marilyn Monroe

Before becoming an iconic sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe faced a difficult childhood as Norma Jeane Mortenson. Estranged from her father and only meeting her siblings at age 12, she endured the instability of foster care after her mother's mental breakdown.

This tumultuous upbringing led to her becoming withdrawn and developing a stutter, resulting in her dropping out of high school at 16.

Despite appearing on numerous magazine covers by age 20, Marilyn struggled to find acting work following a brief contract with 20th Century Fox. After a short stint with Columbia Pictures yielded little success, she eventually secured a breakthrough with the William Morris Agency.

Monroe's perseverance in these challenges culminated in a celebrated film career, with her movies grossing over $200 million.

54. Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves had a turbulent early life. After his father left when he was just 3, he moved between Beirut, Australia, and Canada. His mother married and divorced multiple times, and he attended four different high schools in five years before dropping out at 17.

In 1998, his personal life took a tragic turn when his child was stillborn, and his marriage ended, with his ex-wife passing away shortly after.

Despite these setbacks, his career breakthrough came with River's Edge and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. His iconic role in The Matrix in 1999 propelled him to enduring success.

55. Steven Spielberg

Before his monumental success in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg faced academic setbacks, earning poor grades that led to his ejection from the University of Southern California's film school.

After attending California State University, he found initial success with Jaws. However, his 1979 film 1941 was a significant failure, tarnishing his reputation.

Despite this setback, Spielberg's determination propelled him to create iconic blockbusters like Indiana Jones, The Color Purple, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and ET, solidifying his legacy as an acclaimed filmmaker.

Final Thoughts on Successful People Who Have Failed

Obstacles are out there, but they are meant to be overcome.

No adventure worth undertaking is straightforward. Everyone who achieves success faces obstacles. What makes (or breaks) a person is how they react to the challenges and roadblocks in their life and what they do (or do not do) to overcome these setbacks.

Perhaps these famous failures have inspired you to take action in your life. Even though they are all world famous now, they once encountered challenges just like you. (One habit many famous and successful people is keeping a journal.)

If you'd like to achieve more success in your life, then you can learn how by reading some of the other blog posts on this website:

• 9 Successful People with Dyslexia
• 12 Principles to Be Successful in Life
• 20 “Must Read” Books on Achieving Success
• 32 Successful People Who Didn’t Go to or Finish College
• 11 Inspiring Famous People with Autism Spectrum Disorder

So, if you feel stuck, I'd recommend reviewing these three information-packed articles today.

Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals.